Update Monday May 8: The babies are getting pretty big now, and just getting ready to learn to fly. On Friday 5/5, they started spreading their wings:
Late Friday afternoon there was a pretty interesting scene. At one point, I could see the mother and both babies sit straight up at attention:
It seemed that something was bothering them, and I stepped out onto the balcony just in time to see a huge hawk land in the tree across the way. He looked over, then apparently decided there were were easier pickings elsewhere, and flew off. But the doves knew he was there even before they could see him.
Here's a picture of a feeding, taken late Saturday, I think:
Yesterday, the parents switched off about every two hours, so the babies got fed more frequently. Around 5 in the afternoon, the mother left, and the young doves were apparently alone for the entire night. Today, each parent showed up briefly to feed them, and then left. They're starting to be more aware of the world beyond the nest, and starting to test their new wings. Here is a pair of captures, taken eight seconds apart, as one of the little ones "flies" the inch and a half up to the railing of the flower box:
But most of the time they just sit there. Heck of a place to raise a kid. It's filthy, there are dead bodies lying about, and predators lurking nearby.
